Civilian Pastor Leads Midshipmen, Faculty at Annapolis

The US Naval Academy has an interesting arrangement in which a civilian pastor is officially part of the chapel staff to minister to faculty and midshipmen. That position is now filled by Bart Physioc:

Physioc fills a unique position in a congregation that encompasses active duty and retired military, civilians and staff. Because Navy chaplains have responsibilities that limit their ability to pastor the whole church, Physioc helps cover visitations and ministers to and disciples the members.

He isn’t new to the military, however. It turns out Pastor Physioc is actually retired US Army Chaplain (Col) Physioc, with 25 years of service that ended just in 2014.

Chaplain Physioc wasn’t always a chaplain, though, and he wasn’t always a Christian. It turns out he gave his life to Christ while serving in the US Coast Guard — after a fellow Coastie invited him to church. After that, his primary source of growth was through materials from The Navigators.

Asking a fellow service member if he wants to go to church, supporting local military ministries — there’s value in the simple acts of ministry, though the simple ones are sometimes the ones forgotten or skipped.